The Truth about Self Publishing Your First Book

Why Self Publishing Your First Book is Easier Than You Think

I hear it all the time.

If only I could complete my book and get it published this year.

I understand the frustration. New publishers may feel like they have to measure up with those who have been selling for a long time. But that’s only the case for traditional publishing methods — self publishing is much more possible in today’s online world.

If you have tried the traditional method you’ve already discovered that publishers don’t sell books. They don’t market your book. They don’t help you monetize your book. You are on your own.

In fact, you are under contract to work for them. Yep, you’re an employee collecting a tiny fraction of the royalties you should be collecting. All because you took a small advance (if you could even get one).

“Traditional” publishers are ONLY interested in people that ALREADY have a big following and platform.

You could have the cure for cancer in your book and they are only interested in your answers to these questions.

How big is your email list?

How many social media followers do you have?

How many past and current clients do you serve?

That’s it. Why?

Simple, they are not selling your book. YOU are!

And if you don’t have a big platform then they are NOT interested.

It’s time to take control of your book creation, marketing and platform building.

Here are 6 ways to get onto the path of success:

Target market research

Determine what niche market your book will appeal to. Take a look at not only your social media statistics but also your website to gain a better understanding of who is interested in your brand. For example, you could have a demographic of half women and half men with average age of 40 to 55. Find out what their pain points are by conducting surveys, asking questions, or hosting a webinar. With this information in place ahead of time you will improve your chances of being seen among thousands of other publishers online.

Begin the marketing process

Before you even start writing your book you need to have a marketing plan in place. This means setting up accounts on the major social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube. Build up these platforms along with your blog with an engaged and interested audience — these will be the initial fan base you will be appealing to. Be sure to make regular updates and create anticipation for your book, especially to your blog subscribers. Hire a freelancer or use a service like Animoto to create a compelling teaser trailer — you don’t necessarily need to have a manuscript in order to do this.

Map out your outline

What will be the main points of your publication? This could be from a series of blog articles or videos you have already published or by starting from scratch based on your own personal experiences and research. Write out a basic skeleton of each chapter and what you want to convey to your readers in each step. Every section should be answering the who, what, when, where and why questions and provide a valuable insight leading to the conclusion. This could be the most time-consuming process of your book, but is well worth the time before you start the writing process.

Edit your copy

Once you have a first rough draft in place do an overview of your work. While it may be tempting to edit while you are writing it’s always best to save that until you’re finished. Rewriting is a creative process where you can add or delete ideas with a fresh mind. Once you have another version ready invest in a professional editor or use an online editing tool for a professional finalization of your book. Your goal as an author is to appear as professional as other published authors and to eliminate any grammatical and spelling errors. Remember that you want your work to be the best that it can be to both readers and professional reviewers.

Create a stand-out cover

Next to hiring an editor or purchasing software is the important expense of graphic design. Do your homework and investigate prior clients of any designer you plan to hire and find out what their exact turn-around time is. Make sure they understand what your book is about and how it should represent your brand. If you are publishing a fiction novel determine how your cover can stand out from others in your genre. A good designer will guide you through this process and offer multiple ideas to choose from. If a book is getting skipped over on places on Amazon chances are they are not being drawn in with a compelling book cover.

Decide on print, digital or both

Once you have a completed version of your book decide whether this will be in print, as a eBook, or provided in both formats. This of course depends upon your initial budget and many authors find that publishing through places like Amazon’s CreateSpace for their first title can bring in enough income to also produce a print copy later on. There are a few good publishers who handle self-publishers specifically like Book Baby and Author House. Do your research on each platform to find out which one would be the best fit for your niche.

I’ve helped many authors take control of their publishing goals, become best selling authors, get speaking engagements, get on television, radio and media.

Without the hassle of having to turn to a traditional publisher.

2017 is almost over.

Now is the time to get started on your book and be ready for next year.

Who is Susan Gilbert? – I’m a small dog addict, miniature horse owner, online marketing maniac, bestselling author, and eHow video contributor who’s been working online since 1999. I guess that makes me an old timer who is learning new tricks every day!